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Night weening?

I have a 7 1/2 month old daughter who nurses every 2 hours still, IF NOT MORE! Day and night. She is eating foods now like banana, avocado, carrots, sweet potatoes but it hasn't deterred her nursing habits at all. I don't mind so much during the day, just at night it's really starting to wear on me not getting a full sleep cycle for 7 months I think i'm at risk of losing the last bit of sanity I have left...and I have work in the morning. We co-sleep and I've tried to give her a pacifier when she wakes up at night and comfort her in other ways to show her that we don't always have to nurse for comfort and to get back to sleep, she doesn't agree at all. I am totally against any "cry it out" methods so when other things don;t work and she continues to get more upset i give in and nurse. Is she really hungry every 2 hours all night?! Or is she using me as a pacifier? What can I do to "night ween" her without traumatizing her or breaking her trust in me?

Re: Night weening?

Sorry mama. I haven't gotten a "full sleep cycle" for almost 4 years, so I feel your pain. However, your daughter is way too young to even think about night-weaning. I think that if you let go of the stress that she is STILL waking up - and stop counting how many times she's waking up and just nurse her right when she wakes, that you guys will get more rest. Have you tried going to bed earlier? Taking naps on the weekends? There was a long time where I had to go to bed with Lilah when she went to bed - at around 7 pm and just let go of the fact that she woke every 45 to 90 minutes.

Re: Night weening?

Nightweaning prior to a year... Not something you want to do to the baby, though you may be desperate for it yourself! Check out Elizabeth Pantley's book "Tne No-Cry Sleep Solution" for some gentle, breastfeeding-friendly techniques which may encourage your baby to sleep a little more independently. Sometimes they work, and even if they don't- well, it at least feels good to feel like you're doing something!

Re: Night weening?

Try to get her to sleep and put her in her crib. Sarah was like this but I think it was just because she had an all night buffet just inches from her. Granted she still doesn't sleep all night but sleeps til like 1:00- 3:00. When she wakes up, I get her and she comes to my bed. However those 3-5 hours of sleep without a baby in my ribs is very helpful....much better than the 2 hours I got before!

Mom to Kaleb born 7/24/08......clueless about BF and began to supplement. Supply was gone at 8 weeks.

Sarah Beth born 11/29/11.....found this forum(lifesaver) and glad to say she has only had BM since day 1 and we are still going strong!

Re: Night weening?

I find that when my lo sleeps next to me he will ALWAYS root for my breasts. Like every hour ALWAYS. He doesn't demand milk that often when he is in his crib. Some nights he sleeps great like 5-6 hour stretches in his crib. But of course some nights he sleeps really badly and that's when I will just place him next to me. He will always want to nurse but that is better than getting up to the next room to get him every hour. I'm not discouraging co-sleeping. Just that there are other options for you to explore. Hang in there

Re: Night weening?

OH MY GOODNESS, I was just about to write this exact same post, only my daughter is 6 months. I have lost my sanity and I'm doing things that I never use to do, like putting weird things in the freezer, such as Tomatoes, and forgetting to strap her into her stroller - scared the living daylights out of me when i realised, and I took a massive fall of the bed the other day which I never do, just becoming more careless.
I'm up the same maybe every 3 hours but as much as I love my little bean I can't keep it up - she's sick at the moment so that doesn't help. Any way not Hijacking your post but saying you're not alone!!!! Looking forward to reading the advice you're given as I'm sure it will help me! Sleep fairy come to us pleaseeeeeeee

Re: Night weening?

A few suggestions:

You can try putting her in the same room as you, but not the same bed. I can see why she wouldn't want a pacifier if your breast is right there. Try a white noise machine to drown out noises that you are making that may wake her up. We use an air filter in our bedroom.

2 hours before bed, focus on feeding her as much as she will take. Breastmilk + a protein food. With DS, I took beef pasta sauce, pureed it with bread crumbs and spoon fed it to him. You can add a bit of cheese too.

Read the No-Cry-Sleep Solution.

Try a sleep sack.

Canadian mom and breastmilk fan.
We have 2 beautiful children: Luana who's 9 y/o, had breastmilk for 2 years and is smart as a whip. Lucas who came out kickin', is 4 y/o and continues to enjoy his milkies.

Re: Night weening?

It's too early for night weaning. Personally, I found cosleeping, going to bed early, and sleeping as much as baby lets me (and my life allows) to be the only effective measures. Some babies do sleep better separately from their mothers, but not my babies. Yes, my babies want to nurse at night, but that's true no matter where they sleep, so sleeping right next to my baby meant I didn't have to get out of bed to nurse them. The less you have to do during a "night waking" the easier it is to go back to sleep. If I had to get up and down all night and resettle a baby in a crib, I'd be wrecked, but since I barely wake up to nurse them and can fall asleep as soon as they are latched on, I honestly felt pretty okay even when Joe was waking up every hour all night long. As the survivor of a seriously light and restless sleeper, I have to say, a long night of broken sleep is better than a short one. Go to bed earlier, with your child if need be, and stay there until they are up for the day. It really makes a difference.

You can call me JoMo!

Mom to baby boy Joe, born 5/4/09 and breastfed for more than two and a half years, and baby girl Maggie, born 7/9/12.